If All You See…

By William Teach April 3, 2020 – 1:00 pm

…is a cactus that will soon be growing in Alaska due to the climate crisis, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Jo Nova, with a post on 27 feet of social distancing.

Read: If All You See… »

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Surprise: Lots Of Liberals Are Buying Guns During Bat Soup Virus Emergency

By William Teach April 3, 2020 – 10:08 am

Well, this is a heck of a thing, gun grabbers putting aside their gun grabbing beliefs for their own protection

Yes, Plenty Of Liberals Are Buying Guns Too

The record number of firearms sold in March weren’t all purchased by Trump-loving Republicans in red states, despite claims by gun control activists that the surge in sales is all due to fearmongering on the part of the NRA. As it turns out, the desire to protect yourself and your loved ones is non-partisan, and even the New Yorker is recognizing that many of the 1-million or more new gun owners around the country don’t fit neatly into the anti-gun stereotype of the typical Second Amendment supporter.

The magazine’s Charles Bethea reports on a recent trip to Gorge Guns in Hood River, Oregon, where owner Erika Bales has been busy with customers new and old. Among the customers opening her door for the very first time was a woman in her 60s looking for something she could use for home defense. (snip)

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Post-Gazette newspaper also found self-described progressives purchasing firearms for self-defense.

After standing in line at a Pittsburgh-area sporting goods store for more than an hour, not knowing what he would say to the sales clerk, the self-described “liberal Democrat from New York City” bought a gun. He said it was an impulse buy, not a “panic.”…

“The stock market is tanking. I’m well-read enough to know that puts the onus on people to feel differently about how commodities are traded and how people will act,” said the gun-purchasing anesthesiologist, who lives in Fox Chapel and works in Pittsburgh.

I’ve actually spoken to a few shop owners and they report the same thing around here.

It will be interesting to see just how many folks on the left side of the political aisle discover a newfound appreciation for the Second Amendment, and how many of them in places like coastal California, Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts end up discovering that the gun control laws and anti-gun politicians they may have supported in the past are actually making it impossible for them to acquire a firearm during the current emergency.

Will lots of Democrats switch over to being 2nd Amendment supporters, especially those who purchased themselves? Or, will they pretend they do not have a gun? Think about all the celebs, such as Alyssa Milano, who have firearms but want to restrict others (Alyssa has 2). And Democrat Gabby Giffords, who herself has a firearm, as does her husband.

Read: Surprise: Lots Of Liberals Are Buying Guns During Bat Soup Virus Emergency »

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Bummer: U.N. Postpones Climate Crisis Working Vacation Meeting

By William Teach April 3, 2020 – 8:05 am

If there’s one thing that Bat Soup Virus has shown us, it’s that people can actually use technology to have meetings. Nothing new there, though, right? We’ve been doing conference calls for decades and decades and decades, along with video conferencing in the same manner. But, you know, climate cultists want to be able to take long fossil fueled trips to vacation spots, especially when they are paid for by Other People

U.N. Postpones Global Climate Summit Over Pandemic Concerns

The United Nations postponed an important year-end climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, because of concerns about the novel coronavirus pandemic.

U.N. climate leaders bowed yesterday to mounting pressure to delay the summit that attracts thousands of delegates and observers. The gathering will be held in 2021, and a midyear meeting that would have been held in June is scheduled to occur in Bonn, Germany, at the end of this summer.

The news comes as the coronavirus has spread to 180 countries and claimed more than 45,000 lives. The conference center in Madrid where the U.N. summit was held last December and the Glasgow venue that was booked for this November’s meeting have both been converted to field hospitals. (snip)

The Glasgow conference was to be the most important climate meeting since the 2015 Paris summit. Countries were expected to update their Paris Agreement pledges ahead of the gathering, further reducing emissions through 2030. The first round of pledges, now 5 years old, put the world on track for potentially catastrophic warming of 3.2 degrees Celsius, according to the U.N. Environment Programme. The Paris Agreement’s goal is to keep warming “well-below 2 degrees.”

If the Paris climahysteric agreement was so historic, why is it necessary to change it? Of course, despite all the pledges, almost no nation is actually on track to meet their commitments.

Climate advocates accepted the summit’s delay. But they said as countries move past their response to the public health crisis and refocus on recovering economically, those policies should support the promises they made in Paris five years ago and not undermine them. Stimulus plans worldwide can spur green energy innovation, efficiency measures and climate resiliency. Or they can double down on fossil fuels, they said.

So, we can implement policies which will keep the economies of all the nations in the toilet, or we can ignore the climate cultists and get things going. These same climate cultists will be taking lots and lots of fossil fueled trips and engage in consumerism once we are done with Bat Soup Virus. Even more than normal after being locked down.

It remains unclear when the Glasgow conference will happen. The U.N. and the U.K. government must coordinate with African countries—who were to host COP27, the U.N. summit in 2021—to decide whether there should be two summits in one year, or whether the meeting in Africa should be postponed until 2022.

Why not have both, since the CoC has multiple big ones yearly. Heck, you could have the Glasgow one in March, then the Bonn in June, then the normal one in Africa. I bet the 10,000+ who attend would love this. Bunch of climahypocrites. Why not simply have small meetings and allow people to watch on video? It’s not like most of the 10,000+ are actually doing anything but sitting in seats and watching, you know. Oh, right, free vacations.

Read: Bummer: U.N. Postpones Climate Crisis Working Vacation Meeting »

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NY Times: Why Is The Guy We Accuse Of Being A Dictator Not Action Like A Dictator?

By William Teach April 3, 2020 – 7:41 am

As we all know, Democrats and their pet Credentialed Media have been accusing Trump of being an authoritarian for years. They can’t say exactly how he’s being one, especially since he tends to do away with rules and regulations rather than enact them. I guess it’s do to him being mean to Dems and the media? James E. Baker, who served under Clinton, is upset

Why Is Trump So Timid With the Defense Production Act?

Every Marine knows better than to pull a knife in a gunfight. But so far, that appears to be the federal government’s approach to battling Covid-19. The president has “invoked” the Defense Production Act, but the government has not used the full authority of the act. There is a difference between invoking a law and using it, just as there is a difference between talk and action.

Governors and health officials tell us that there is a profound gap between the protective equipment, hospital equipment and testing resources that are needed (and will be needed) and what is available (or in the pipeline). Bill Gates reminds us that we will need to produce millions, perhaps billions, of doses of vaccine in 12 to 18 months. This isn’t a passing crisis; we will need more of everything in two months, six months and maybe years.

Don’t let debate over the details of General Motors’ and Ventec’s honorable effort to build more ventilators hide the bottom line: The federal government has all the authority it needs to close the supply gap, allocate resources among states, and prepare for the production and distribution of the vaccine to come. Until the federal government demonstrates — with statistics, contracts and timelines — that the gap is closed and the vaccine pipeline is ready, we should ask: Why isn’t the government bringing its full arsenal to the fight?

Don’t look at all the those private companies voluntarily changing their production lines to help out distract you from the bottom line (remember how the media belittled and attacked the founder of My Pillow and the company?), which is that Trump Should Be Acting Like A Dictator

The D.P.A.’s authorities go beyond prioritizing contracts and manufacturing supplies. Its allocation authority addresses the problem of states’ competing against one another for scarce resources based on market mechanisms. The federal government can allocate equipment and supplies based on actual need and best public-health practices. The D.P.A.’s industry assessment authority can be used to measure production and distribution capacity, remove blind spots, plan efficiently and recreate a supply chain at home. The federal government can determine now which entities could produce vaccines while it plans for their ethical allocation. The government can then use the D.P.A.’s Title III incentive authorities to issue loans, offer antitrust protection and guarantee purchases, creating a secure market for masks, tests and vaccines.

The minute that the Trump admin starts prioritizing they will be accused of picking and choosing winners and losers, that they are helping out Trump states and not Blue states.

The law is so broad in places that it is sometimes referred to as a “commandeering” authority. Lawyers prefer to say the president would act at the zenith of his authority under the paradigm presented in Justice Jackson’s concurrence in the Supreme Court’s landmark Youngstowncase. But its use is not as extraordinary as some suggest, and it is not commandeering. The Defense Department alone uses the prioritization authority some 300,000 times a year, while the government uses Title III incentives 20 to 30 times per year. Although the allocation authority has not been used since the Cold War, some civilian airliners and freighters remain allocated for the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. Nor does exercise of the prioritization and allocation authority equate to state ownership. Under the act, corporations are paid fair market value for their products. Any actual “commandeering” of production would require just compensation under the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause. Moreover, price controls under the D.P.A. require a joint resolution of Congress signed into law by the president.

Wait, what was that about a joint resolution by Congress? We all know that the minute Trump goes and fully uses DPA the same media will accuse him of going to far and acting like an authoritarian.

State and local authorities are imploring the federal government to use the authority it has to secure our medical supply chain. So far, the administration appears to have responded like a parent doling out candy to a child: one piece at a time. This is an “all hands on deck” moment, not merely to flatten the curve but to leap ahead of the curve. America was once the arsenal of democracy; the D.P.A. can help make us the arsenal of public health.

Wait, government is inefficient? Who knew! But, really, if these state and local administrations are incompetent, perhaps they should resign and let others who aren’t do the job.

I’ve never heard of a commander who complained about having too many tanks or who asked for a few artillery shells and not one too many. It’s high time we fought the virus the American way: with everything we’ve got.

Perhaps Mr. Baker should have a conversation with Mr. Obama, and his VP Joe Biden, about depleting the N95 masks and not replenishing them.

Read: NY Times: Why Is The Guy We Accuse Of Being A Dictator Not Action Like A Dictator? »

Posted in Donald Trump, Unhinged Tools | 35 Comments | Trackback URL

‘Climate Change’ Can Totally Decimate The Economy Just Like Bat Soup Virus Or Something

By William Teach April 2, 2020 – 3:00 pm

This is a doozy of an attempt to fear-monger while linking Coronavirus

If The Virus Can Decimate Global Economies So Can Climate Change

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union ultimately collapsed in 1991, the world changed. The end to the Cold War corresponded with prosperity, balanced budgets and the rise of dot.coms. The new millennium would transform American life — from how we buy goods to how we earn livings.

Global leaders were forced to think outside the box — to imagine the unimaginable. Could communism collapse? Could brick-and-mortar businesses tumble while Americans shopped online? Could terrorists strike and knock down the World Trade Center buildings?

Which is interesting, considering that these climate cultists have the same goals as the communists

Today, the international community faces a new threat — an invisible virus that has infected millions and killed 40,000 to date. It is shutting down commerce and wounding economies too. Great thinkers are wanted now more than ever: if a virus can disassemble livelihoods so too can climate change — another amorphous problem that has been allowed to fester and that needs leadership.(snip)

This could be a win-win: The American Society of Civil Engineers says that the nation’s infrastructure is in decline and needs as much as $2 trillion in investment — something that facilitates commerce and generates jobs. The Democrats, meanwhile, want money poured into low-carbon assets — things like new solar and wind farms as well as advanced broadband and telecom. Label it what you like, but this is really a Green New Deal.

So, yeah, this is really about pushing the Cult of Climastrology’s agenda, using Chinavirus as the basis

The lessons learned from the health pandemic are clear and they have implications for climate change. The United States should be leading but instead, it has become a drag on international progress. This can all change: marrying the need to build a modernized infrastructure with the desire to reduce CO2 levels could move the country forward. It’s about being proactive and preparing for external threats, all to prevent the kinds of calamity caused by 9-11 and COVID-19.

Interestingly, 9/11 and the slight downturn was caused by nutjobs. Wuhan virus was caused by idiots, and then made worse by fear-mongerers. Yet, despite a very slowly increasing global temperature, humanity has made more forward strides in that time than any time in history.

But, cultists will be cultists.

Read: ‘Climate Change’ Can Totally Decimate The Economy Just Like Bat Soup Virus Or Something »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Global Warming | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach April 2, 2020 – 1:00 pm

…are Evil fossil fueled vehicles, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is The Political Hat, with a post on how to be a Conservative.

I don’t usually editorialize with in these posts, but, I don’t fully agree with Sir Roger Sruton’s version, since it is moving the needle from Classical Conservatism, which is practiced in Europe, rather than being based on Classical Liberalism, which is what Conservatism is based on here in the States. But, it is an excellent viewpoint, worth the 44 minutes. And, heck, what else do you have to do right now?

Read: If All You See… »

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Wake County Sheriff Told To Issue New Gun Permits

By William Teach April 2, 2020 – 10:30 am

Of course, there is a very big caveat in this

Wake sheriff to resume pistol permit applications halted by coronavirus concerns

The Wake County sheriff will resume processing pistol purchase permits in “as timely a fashion as possible under the current conditions,” according to a court order filed Tuesday.

Sheriff Gerald Baker said he was pleased with the order, signed by Resident Superior Court Judge A. Graham Shirley.

“I believe the court’s review of the entire situation reveals that my primary purpose has always been, and will continue to be, to protect the safety and welfare of my staff, Wake County citizens and the jail residents housed in the Wake County Public Safety Center,” Baker stated in a news release.

Baker announced last week that he was suspending pistol purchase permit applications until April 30 because of a backlog in applications and a concern that growing numbers of people coming in seeking permits could potentially spread the coronavirus.

Pistol purchase permit applications were up nearly 500% over the same time period as 2018, The News & Observer previously reported. The applications require a background check, and the Wake County Clerk of Courts, which does the checks, could not keep up with demand, the sheriff said.

Look, I get the point of having too many people too close. There were a bunch of people in line very close when I got mine back in 2009. But, this is all an excuse from an uber-Leftist sheriff who really doesn’t want to give any out, and he will find a way to snail walk applications, meaning people won’t be getting them for months and months, if at all this year.

The consent order gives Baker up to seven days to implement the changes needed to resume accepting pistol purchase applications. Information on the modified application process will be available on the Sheriff’s Office Pistol Permits Office’s website in the next few days.

We’ll have to see what he puts in place.

Meanwhile, in other Gun Grabber news

Moms Demand Action to Governors: ‘Ignore’ Trump’s ‘Essential’ Label for Gun Stores

Michael Bloomberg’s gun control groups Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety are urging governors around the country to ignore the Donald Trump administration’s labeling of gun stores as “essential” business.

On March 28, 2020, Breitbart News reported that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security issued new guidelines highlighting those businesses that are essential and “critical” during a coronavirus shutdown. Firearm retailers and manufacturers were listed as essential, and the Bloomberg gun control groups are trying to convince governors that it is okay to ignore these guidelines.

A post on the Everytown/Moms Demand Action website quotes Moms Demands Action’s Shannon Watts saying, “The gun lobby has fear-mongered to stoke gun sales throughout this pandemic, pedaling the lie that more guns make us safer. The Trump administration just gave that myth its seal of approval, proving once again that President Trump cares more about lining gun dealers’ pockets than saving American lives.”

Democrats and their pet media have turned an elevated issue of concern into an economy destroying pandemic, and citizens are concerned about the rise of crime as cops are dispatched to arrest people having parties.

Everytown’s John Feinblatt said, “It’s shameful and nonsensical that the Trump administration has decided to put gun dealers and manufacturers on the same level as police, first responders, hospital workers, and other Americans who are risking everything to save lives during this pandemic. Governors should feel free to ignore this irresponsible advisory and do what’s best for their residents.”

See, having the means to protect yourself is meaningless for these gun grabbers. Interesting that Bloomberg, Watts, and other gun grabbers typically have their own armed security.

Read: Wake County Sheriff Told To Issue New Gun Permits »

Posted in 2nd Amendment, NC News | 4 Comments | Trackback URL

Queen Beats Greens On Lawsuit To Build Hydroelectric Dam

By William Teach April 2, 2020 – 8:13 am

You know how Greenie Weenie’s want us to build lots of solar, wind, and hydro power to replace Evil coal and fossil fuels? That mostly seems to be in theory, because when you actually try and build them the greenies try and stop them

Queen wins battle with environmental protestors to build hydroelectric turbine on Balmoral estate

The Queen has won a battle with environmentalists to go green and build a hydroelectric turbine on her land.

Her Majesty wanted to build a two-megawatt generator on the River Muick, which runs through her 50,000-acre Balmoral estate in Scotland.

The plans will generate up to £650,000 of power a year, which will power the estate, and surplus electricity could be sold on to the National Grid.

But the plans were opposed by environmentalists who feared it would be too noisy for woodland creatures living nearby.

It’s always something with these people. “We need green energy! But you can’t build it!”

Richard Gledson, on behalf of Balmoral Estates, said of the plans: ‘Balmoral Estates has already developed a hydro scheme on the Gelder Burn, which was commissioned in 2014.

So, why are Greenie Weenies concerned now? They weren’t concerned before.

The turbines will be the fourth and fifth installed there.

The first was supplied to provide electric light to Queen Victoria in 1898.

Definitely not concerned before. The NY Times was Concerned about hydroelectric dams blocking free flowing rivers. Salon wanted dams taken down to protect salmon. Lots more of that out there, and Grist, which has run anti-dam articles in the past, notes that when dams are torn down coal steps in. You probably get some natural gas, too.

Read: Queen Beats Greens On Lawsuit To Build Hydroelectric Dam »

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Hawaii, Laredo Ramp Up Fines And Threats For Bat Soup Virus Violators

By William Teach April 2, 2020 – 7:54 am

These could make for some interesting Constitutional, both state and federal, lawsuits. Does Hawaii and Laredo, Texas, have the authority to do this?

Hawaii will fine self-quarantine violators $5,000 or send them to prison

If you were thinking of riding out the pandemic in sunny Hawaii, think again: Anyone traveling between the state’s islands must quarantine themselves for two weeks.

And breaking that quarantine order to gulp some fresh air could earn you a hefty fine — or a prison sentence.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed a proclamation on Monday that requires residents and visitors who travel between islands to quarantine themselves for 14 days.

Anyone who violates the mandatory quarantine could face up to $5,000 in fines or a year in prison, if convicted.

Is it self quarantine or mandatory quarantine? What’s the difference between going to a different island and going down the street to the market? Let’s not forget

In Florida, a megachurch pastor was arrested and charged with unlawful assembly and a violation of health emergency rules for holding services for hundreds of churchgoers. A Louisiana pastor who held services and said the virus was a political ploy was hit with similar charges.

Police have broken up weddings and house parties in New Jersey and charged hosts with disorderly conduct. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said residents who violate the stay-at-home order could face a misdemeanor charge or be jailed for up to a year.

And to Laredo

(The Blaze) City leaders in Laredo, Texas, have moved to criminalize the act of entering a public building without a facial covering amid the coronavirus pandemic. Violators of the order face arrest and a fine of up to $1,000.

The Laredo City Council passed a mandate obtained by Reuters dictating that beginning Thursday, “all persons over the age of five (5) are required to wear some form of covering over their nose and mouth, such as a homemade mask, scarf, bandana, or handkerchief, when: entering into or inside of any building open to the public; when using public transportation, taxis, or ride shares; or when pumping gas.”

“The penalty for a violation of this section shall be a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.00,” the order read.

This is at least something passed by a duly elected legislative body specifically, rather than an executive pronouncement. But, is there Constitutional authority? How about statutory authority from the state and/or federal level? That applies to all. At least the Laredo one really makes sense.

The Times reported that concern was expressed during the council’s meeting that the fines attached to the new order might be too steep, particularly for citizens impacted by the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus epidemic. To that, Councilman George Altgelt replied, “I’d rather bury them in debt than bury them in a coffin.”

Criminals are super enthused that law enforcement is being distracted.

Read: Hawaii, Laredo Ramp Up Fines And Threats For Bat Soup Virus Violators »

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UK Government Unveils Sweeping Vision Of Future Travel To Tackle Hotcoldwetdry

By William Teach April 1, 2020 – 4:27 pm

Of course, this vision only applies to you little people, not the government officials and big time Warmists

Government unveils ‘unprecedented’ vision of future travel in bid to tackle climate crisis

The government has quietly published an ambitious plan for how it will revolutionise UK transport to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight the climate crisis.

The report comes in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and has appeared on the Department for Transport website without any fanfare.

But its aims have been described as “unprecedented” and campaigners have said it “pulls no punches” in its assessment of where the UK is and where it needs to be to improve health and make daily life more efficient.

At the core of the report is the recognition that the UK must act decisively to reduce its emissions, and instead of depending on cars to the extent we do now, the government must deliver policies making walking, cycling and public transport our main means of travel.

In his introduction to the report, transport minister Grant Shapps said: “Public transport and active travel will be the natural first choice for our daily activities. We will use our cars less and be able to rely on a convenient, cost-effective and coherent public transport network.” (snip)

“Transport is the biggest source of carbon emissions, and private cars cause the lion’s share. Electric vehicles aren’t the solution.

Never let a good crisis go to waste, eh? They’ll try and slip this through, essentially making the little people rely on buses, walking, trains, and bikes, while restricting ownership and usage of cars and planes.

Read: UK Government Unveils Sweeping Vision Of Future Travel To Tackle Hotcoldwetdry »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Global Warming | 1 Comment | Trackback URL
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